Chereads / Star Rangers / Chapter 15 - The D Shape Bar

Chapter 15 - The D Shape Bar

We reach a bar table that's made in a D shape if looked at from above. At its center is some machine or gadget operated by a droid. The machine looks like a stall with a circular cap on its top, and then a halo is floating at the center of its body, surrounding it. The halo that's hovering and not touching any parts of the body is slowly spinning. On the inner portion of the halo, there is a blue light coming out of it. Making the machine give off blue air around it. At the center of its body, there seem to be numerous buttons in different colors. A droid, however, is using its beam to communicate with the gadget. The space between the bar table and the machine seems to be about 12 meters from all sides. The machine is a meter thick and 3 meters tall, and the flat end of the bar table is towards the window, with the space's scenery in full view. The bar is located towards the left-center side of the hall's window. The flat end of the bar is only about ten meters away from the window. When we reach the bar, there is no seat around the bar to sit.

"Guess we have to stand," I mumble.

"If you want to sit, just touch the table bar!" Fourty-Two explains.

I touch the table with my right hand. Then a bar seat rises from the floor right behind me. The seat is a circular bench with a small back support. It also changed color. It matches the bar table, which is Steel Blue. There is a dim blue light spinning around the seat's edge.

"Yo, that's cool!" Rowan shouts in amazement.

Soon everyone did the same in the position they desired. I am sitting at the round end of the table, towards the right center, Rowan sits to my left, and Conteh sits next to him.

"Let's sit over there! In the corner!" The child yells and points at the corner of the table bar while being embraced in the woman's arms.

"Ok!" The woman calmly replies.

They sit at the right corner where the flat end and the round part of the table meet, though they sit on the round side. The Old man sits silently at the center of the flat end and is gazing at us calmly. To my surprise, there weren't many people at this bar before we got there. There are two people, a man, and a woman, sitting next to each other at the left corner of the bar where the flat end and the round part meet. The couple seems to be in their senior age. They are human. The woman has a black scarf on her head, and it surrounds her face, covering all of her hair, ear, and neck. Her skin is light, about the same skin tone as the woman who is holding the child at the opposite end. The man has short white hair with a light bronze skin tone. He also has a thin mustache but no beard. They are too far away from me to see any more detail. They are already halfway through their meal, and it seems we have caught their attention of our arrivals. Each and every one of the people at the bar has a droid following them, except for me.

The old couple carefully analyzed each of us for a moment, then their gaze returned to our direction and looked at us a while longer. Then they continued with their meal but occasionally glanced at us and exchanged words with each other. Then I noticed that the old man that had been following us had been staring at us non-stop. I can feel a hole being drilled into my face! I turn to the woman and the child. They seem to be busy looking through a screen, but the child occasionally looks up at us with her right thumb in her mouth. I wonder why?

"Hello? You will not order anything?" Fourty-Two asks through the earphone.

At that moment, I realize Conteh and Rowan are already going through a screen showing pictures of fresh foods. It's a food menu.

"Sure, I'm just wondering why everyone is looking at me," I respond.

Rowan looks at me, then gives out a chuckle. "That's probably because of yo stylish suit, my man!"

"Oh.." He has a point.

Almost everyone has the same suit except for me and Rowan. Everyone has a black suit fit to their body, with their basic gadgets to be able to float about. My suit has wings with extra equipment, so I would have been curious too if I were them..... Wait..... I am curious now that I think about it! I know why mine is different, but why is Rowan's not the same as others? Rowan's suit looks more like one of the rangers I encounter; Oleiga's suit! Instead of three huge V shape wings, it is one smaller V shape wing without fins.

"You look fancy yourself now that you mention it," I remark.

"Haha! Thank you!" Rowan proudly responds with a light smirk.

"Where did you get your idea?" I ask.

"Well.. when I was experimenting with my orb, to see what are its limits. Then I came upon this fellow alien who looked like a dolphin and was traveling with another cute companion! I tried to mimic his suit though he was so big! So I made a smaller version and one that's fit for my taste."

An alien that has a dolphin face with a cute companion? Did he actually run into Oleiga and Hailiga?

"So these aliens... Can you tell me more about them? What were they like?"

"Aha! You are a man of curiosity, I see! Let's see now. The dolphin alien was quite big. He's about twice my size, although I'm sure some of that mass belongs to his suit. He had three fins behind him and three dolphin tails, and he behaved like a dolphin too! He was rather playful! As for the companion, she had a pink suit. She had Aqua blue hair with navy blue skin. She was cu...." Rowan's description cuts off as he realizes something.

"Oh, man." He looks down and puts his hand on his forehead with his forearm resting on the table. He then shakes his head sideways.

"What is it?" I ask.

Rowan stops shaking his head but keeps his hand on his forehead with a wide smile on his face. "Oh, man! She is cute... but brutal! She's a cute, feisty little alien, yo!"

He suddenly puts both hands on my shoulders, which are heavy!

"Yo... If you meet her... Run for your life! That little alien is a demon disguised as an angel! Promise me you will run when you see her! Promise me!" He then rocks my shoulders while smiling like a madman!

"AAHH! Ok OK! I promise!" I snap back.

Rowan then lets me go with a satisfied look on his face. "Good!" Then he nods to himself.

Gee! What's up with him? Well, anyway, judging by his description, he defiantly had a run-in with Oleiga and Hailiga. If that's the case, his warnings are too late. I have already run into her, but I don't think telling him that is wise. I wonder what she did to him to make him go owl like this? Then I remember Alkerion and how he was with them too. Wait... was Alkerion not with them? He mentioned nothing about him!

"How did you run into them, anyway?" I ask.

"Oh, you don't want to know!" Twenty-Six chides into our conversation, "And he hasn't even told you half of it!"

*Gasp!* "What? C'mon, Daisy!" Rowan then puts his hand on his chest. "You're breaking my heart!" he said without a shred of sadness.

"Oh, Shut it! If the other ranger hadn't shown up, those two would have strangled you to death! Though they would do me a huge favor if they did.."

"The Ranger? Oh!" Rowan makes one hand into a fist and lands it into the palm of the other hand as if remembering something. "The Dragon alien! Yeah, he looks scary and mean!"

Aha! So Alkerion joined later. I grab the menu screen and search for food and drink. While I am searching. I keep an ear on their conversation.

"Mean! If he had shown up a few seconds later, you'd be... who knows what would've happened to you! At least show some gratitude!" Twenty-Six snaps.

"Ok! Chill!" Rowan puts both of his hands up. "Gee! But you are right, doe. Why did those two harass me like that, anyway?"

"Harass? Haarraass? If you had to listen to what I said, they wouldn't have resorted to such measures!" twenty-six yells back. "They weren't harassing. You were the one who went all over them! Touching them without permission! Sneaking up from behind no less!"

While listening to them, I came upon a food image that looked appetizing on the menu. There is an explanation in detail at the bottom of the food description. The explanation says, 'Marinated cheeseburger, marinate the ground beef paddy burger in onions, garlic, breadcrumbs, whisker sauce, ketchup, egg with a touch of sea salt served with cheese! The beef is slowly cooked to bring out its rich flavor! You may add the following toppings: Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, ketchup, and mayonnaise.

"Well... Daisy... I had to find out what they were like! I couldn't help myself! And that little girl was viben, I just couldn't..." Rowan gets cut off by Twenty-Six.

I wasn't sure what to select, so I select all the toppings. Then I went on to look for drinks and kept an ear on the conversation.

"You and your curiosity, geez! You like a man-child! You can't just go around places and touch things just because you are curious! Never mind all that... Why did you have to go and grab her like that? Your lucky she only did a back flip technique on you!" Twenty-Six remarks back, "And stop calling me Daisy!".

I came upon an interesting drink option; it's sweet iced tea. I select the drink. Almost immediately, another drone brought a tall glass with my drink in it. So I casually took a sip. I do not regret what I order! It's so sweet and yet a hint of bitter aftermath. Then I glance toward Rowan.

I see Rowan holding the back of his head and scratching it, and he makes a face as if it reminds him of a painful memory "You mean... The way she went behind me, grabbed me by my stomach, and made a flip backward making me land on my head, wasn't the worst she could do? How did she leave me, anyway? She's strong!"

"Of curse she is! She's a Ranger!" Twenty-Six Replies.

"A Ranger? What are they?" Rowan Asks.

*Sigh* "Rangers are like space adventurers..."

I stop listening to their conversation. Did that drone sigh? They don't breathe! So why.....

"My! Rowan is energetic! But troublesome," Fourty-Two tells me through my earphone.

I rest my left elbow on the table, rest my chin on my left hand, and play with my drink with the other hand, which is mostly full. I look off at through the arch window and remember all the troubles I got into with Fourty-Two.

"You out of everyone here shouldn't be saying that," I respond.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Fourty-Two asks.

Seriously? Did he already forget what I have been through because of him?

"Because he reminds me of you! Dumbass..."

"Hey! Why must you be so ungrateful to your lovely and wonderful guide?"

*Sigh* This guy... He and Rowan would fit so well together. They're practically like two peas in a pot! So much so that it's concerning!

Then a small portal opens in front of me, and a drone emerges carrying a round metallic plate within a beam. The drone gently places the plate in front of me on the table. It's my food!

"Oh? Yo, that looks delicious! What is it?" Rowan asks, his eyes are sparkling.

"So... You got Cheese burga" Conteh points out, who has been silently lost in his world until now. "This was my son's favorite."

Rowan glances at me meaningfully, then turns to Conteh. "That so? Well, then. I shall have one of these cheese Burgas as well! In memory of your son!"

"It's a cheeseburger." I correct Rowan. I know Conteh has an accent, but Rowan doesn't.

Rowan turns around and looks at me sternly. What? Why is he looking at me like that? I mean, look at the menu! It's what it's said!

"Hehehe, you are correct. Sorry, my English isn't so good." Conteh remarks with a sad smile.

"Oh, no, your good! I understand why you said it like that. I was correcting Rowan," I reply.

Rowan rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "Anyway, I'm going to get a 'cheeseburger', in remembrance of his son," He said while eyeing me, as if trying to point something out. What are you trying to say, Rowan?

"Thank you, you are very kind," Conteh said, tears rolling down his cheek.

As soon as Conteh cries, I realize what Rowan is trying to do. Conteh Just lost someone dear, and Rowan was trying to comfort him, and I just focused on the msss pronunciation? My chest felt heavy at that moment as if I had done something wrong. Why didn't I pay more attention? Rowan looks at me with a deep look. Then he turns to Conteh.

"Want me to help you order a Cheeseburger too?" Rowan asks.

Conteh nods in response. I watch them order their food together without changing my position or touching my food.

After they finish ordering their food, Conteh glances at me with a curious look.

"Why are you not eating?" Conteh asks.

Rowan turns toward me with the same expression as Conteh's. At that, I smile softly.

"I am waiting until your food arrives so we can remember your son together."

Conteh is looking at me with a surprised expression. Moments later, the tears slowly flow down from his eyes. Rowan looks at me with a serious expression, then looks down at the table and smiles softly. The next thing I know, his hand hit my back.

"My man, you finally got it," Rowan mumbles and nods.

Moments later, their food also arrived, and we ate our meal silently. My meal is still warm, and it is delicious. After we ate our meals, Conteh and Rowen talked to each other. Meanwhile, I removed the broken item from my inventory and examined it. Why did I get dizzy? Is there something in my past that has a connection to this item? What about the pendant? I also took out the black pendant as I was examining the items. I suddenly feel dizzy, and my sight is turning grey from the corner of my eyes. I feel heavy as if I'm about to pass out. So I was right! There are connections to my past!

I feel a tap on my shoulder. It's probably Rowan, but I can't turn to look at him, nor can I hear what he is saying. Then I hear Fourty-Two's voice in my earphone., but I can't understand what he is saying. My sight is almost fully grey and is getting darker, with my heartbeat going faster. Just before I lose consciousness, I mumble.

"I...am having...a...flashback.... cove...." I can no longer finish my sentence. I meant to tell Fourty-Two I'm having a flashback, so cover for me.

I hope Fourt-Two can muster together what I was trying to say because there is no way I can wake up from this. I am having a flashback with bullets, lasers, and plasmas flying above my head! There is a firefight between us and those pitiful, dark creatures, and I am shooting at them with my rale gun.